Palghar: Cash seized; BVA activists booked for manhandling MLC

As many as 67 Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) activists were booked for allegedly manhandling a Shiv Sena MLC when cash was seized from a car outside the poll campaign office of the party's candidate in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said.

Vasai-Virar mayor Rupesh Jadhav of the BVA, which is an ally of the Congress, was among those booked in connection with the manhandling incident, a police official said.

The incident took place just hours before polling began in the Palghar Lok Sabha constituency as part of the fourth and last phase of voting in 17 seats of the state.

Following a complaint by BVA activists that voters were being lured, the Election Commission's flying squad searched a car parked outside Sena's Palghar seat nominee Rajendra Gavit in Tulinj area in the early hours of Monday and seized Rs 64,500 from it, the official said.

During enquiry, the police found Shiv Sena MLC Ravindra Phatak and his supporters at Gavit's poll campaign office.

They had gone there around midnight in connection with some issues pertaining to the voters' list, according to Phatak's personal assistance Ajinkya Gaonkar.

Jadhav and other BVA activists reached the spot around the same time as they got information that cash was allegedly being distributed from a car to lure votes, the police official said.

They demanded that the car be removed from the spot, following which Gaonkar asked them to approach Phatak.

A heated argument broke out between the two sides after the BVA activists allegedly threatened to smash the car, he said.

When Phatak came out of the office at that time and went near the car, Jadhav and his supporters allegedly manhandled him and Gaonkar, the official said.

They also allegedly pushed Phatak's security guard and driver into the car and prevented them from getting out of the vehicle, he said.

Later, based on a complaint filed by Gaonkar, the Tulinj police registered offences against 67 BVA activists, including Jadhav, under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hiurt) and provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act.

Earlier, the police also filed a complaint against Phatak for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by being present in the constituency even after the campaign there was over, the official said.

An investigation was on into the incident, he added.